Personal injury law is a very broad field encompassing injuries and accidents such as:

• Intentional Infliction of Emotional Distress
• Battery
• Assault
• False Imprisonment
• Negligence
• Medical Malpractice
• Car Accidents
• School Bullying
• Premises Liability
• California Dog Bite Law
 
• …and more

Financial Expectations of Lawyer and Client

There is a lot of misunderstanding in general about how a personal injury case progresses and how much time, cost, and risk is involved. Many large personal injury law firms advertise a “pure contingency fee” where the firm pays all costs upfront on behalf of the client.  These mega-firms take this gamble on large damage cases, such as catastrophic injury cases (loss of limb, brain injury, paralysis, etc.). Smaller damage cases, like minor impact soft tissue car collision cases, are usually turned away by these firms because the cost and time is not worth the end reward.

For example, let’s say a rear-end auto collision causes $500 worth of property damage to the vehicle.  Assume there are $2,000 in chiropractic bills. Let’s throw in a doctor visit for $500. Now you’re looking at roughly $3,000 in concrete “special damages.” An attorney might go after $2,000-$6,000 in “general damages” (pain, suffering, inconvenience) for a total of $6,000 as a proposed settlement. The insurance company will typically reject the demand and instead put forth a low-ball offer somewhere between $500 to $2,000 for settlement, which is less than the actual damages. If the chiropractor is on a lien (meaning he or she is owed money for their services), then this could leave nothing for the client.

The attorney and client are forced to sue and incur a $400 court filing fee and then another fee for personal service on the defendant. (approximately $500 in costs up front). Attorney will spend hours, days, and weeks working on the case for up to two years without being paid a dime. In the end, if the lawyer goes all the way to trial (spending even more on depositions that cost $500 to $2,000, jury fees that cost about $250 per day) and gets a $9,000 verdict (a great result), then the lawyer will get paid his or her contingency fee. For sake of example, let’s say the lawyer takes a one-third contingency fee, or $3,000.  $3,000 for two years of work is not enough for most lawyers to take the time and risk on these cases. After all, many law schools are costing law students $50,000 per year for three years — so most lawyers are in non-dischargeable 6-figure debt upon graduating. Small firms cannot survive on cases like this — especially if the client expects the lawyer to pay all of the client’s costs.

This firm does not pay for its client’s costs in small personal injury cases. If your damages are below $25,000, you will need to budget approximately $3,000 to invest in your case and cause.  While we will give you our time (up to two years for some civil cases), expertise , and zealous representation, we will not act like your bank. If you believe in your case, then you can invest yourself in your case. Even if you filed a lawsuit on your own, without representation, these are costs you’d have to pay anyway (e.g. filing fees, expert fees, court reporter fees, jury fees, etc.).

Unfortunately, even though this firm is dedicated to fighting for the average Joe, we cannot help everyone who wants or needs help.  The firm needs to stay in business so it can continue to fight for the rights of its clients who have retained the firm. If you are ready and willing to invest yourself in your personal injury case, we are ready and willing to speak with you about giving you our time and experience in obtaining the best result we can get for you.